Job Offer
by Mirrored Illusions
Summary: Buffy and Jo have a talk in a graveyard.


**Timeline**: BtVS: Post-Chosen & SPN: Earlier seasons.  
**Disclaimer**: The Buffyverse belongs to Joss Whedon and Supernatural belongs to Kripke and whoever.

**Author's Note**: Written for Day 05 of the 2019 August Fic-A-Day.  
**A/N 2**: Follows 2015' 'Like the Moon We've Been Up All Night', 2016's 'When You Cross the Line', 2017's 'Hunting the Slayer', and 2018's 'Surveiling the Hunters'.

It took nearly a month before they were able to approach Jo without either the Winchesters or any other Hunters being nearby. Buffy and Angel were doing surveillance and alternated following her for a few days before it became clear she was planning to vanquish a spirit on her own. It was winter and the early darkness ensured Angel had more time to help so Buffy could run some errands and check in with the others.

"Should we contact her before or after?" Buffy asked when they regrouped in the car and began following Jo's car to whichever cemetery she had chosen.

"After. I don't think she'll react well if we interrupt her work. You can approach her after the body and coffin are burning." Buffy nodded and simply kept her eyes on the road and the car three cars ahead.

They were still in the middle of nowhere, just a few States over from where the last grave desecration had taken place. For some reason, they always seemed to catch them in the middle of one of those, except for the time when they were lured into the Devil's Trap. Fun times.

Once they knew which cemetery Jo was going to they drove around for a little bit so as not to arise suspicion, but once they were there they made sure to hide in the shadows and behind tombstones and mausoleums. Their Huntress, female Hunter? Whatever. Jo was still digging when they jumped the wall surrounding the boneyard, so they settled in to wait while she did her thing. Meanwhile, there were smoochies to be had.

They, or rather Buffy, came up for air when they felt the poltergeist form and they began following more intently. Jo shot it with salt and quickly threw a match into the open grave and it caught fire. She shot at it a second time for good measure and then alternated between watching the grave burn and keeping a watchful eye on her surroundings.

When the flames grew lower and they saw more light from the open grave than actual flames Angel gave her a light nudge and nodded towards the other blonde. Buffy nodded and circled around so it would look like she came from the parking lot before approaching the woman.

It was easy to see when the other woman first noticed her as her entire body froze for a few seconds. To show that she came in peace she held her hands out to each side, palms toward Jo to show she wasn't carrying any weapons.

This is going to either be very awkward or get hostile very fast, Buffy thought to herself. "Hello. Remember me? We met in another graveyard last year?"

The sawed-off shotgun was pointed straight at her, and given what she knew about Jo she had no doubt she'd shoot if given even half an excuse. "You're the woman who staked a vampire and made it turn to dust. The same woman who keeps trying to kill the Winchesters."

Well, crap. Talk fast, Buffy, she ordered herself. "I've never tried to kill them. I've just tried to stay out of their way."

"That's not what they've said." The stubborn, little girl attitude was still there, but less noticeable and thankfully without the foot-stomping.

"Look," Buffy tried to explain as she stopped five feet away. "I've met them twice and seen them a third time, and except for knocking them down and tying them up after they tried to kill my boyfriend and me, I have done nothing to harm them."

"Then why do they claim the two of you tried to kill them, then?"

"Hurt male egos? We ran away from them, and then got the drop on them when they thought they had us." She hazarded. "I don't know, but if I had wanted to kill them they would've been dead. And they're alive unless they've died in the last month."

"They're alive. Off somewhere trying to hunt down a Woman in White."

Buffy smiled, even if she had no idea what that meant. "There you go. All good." Then she added, "And I made no attempt to kill you either when we first met." Might as well get that out there so she wouldn't suddenly forget it.

Jo nodded slowly and the shotgun was lowered a little, but it was still held in a position where it could be quickly raised and aimed again.

"What's your name, and who or what are you?"

Score! A friendly gesture, even if she was still looking at her as if she expected her to sprout fangs and try to eat her at any second. "I'm Buffy, and let's just say I'm a Hunter. It's easier and much less with the complications."

"Jo." Came the no-nonsense counter. "How come you're not known in the community if you're a Hunter? There isn't that many of us, and we've all met someone who knows someone else."

Think fast, think fast. Um... "I belong to a much more selective community and we try not to identify ourselves to those who call themselves Hunters due to some past bad experiences. We mostly keep to ourselves and deal with vampires. Sometimes other stuff." Like the yearly apocalypses, she added silently to herself.

"Besides, normally if we meet Hunters we just identify ourselves as a fellow Hunter. It's easier, less confrontational. So it's possible you've met someone already."

Council researchers had done a deep background check on Joanne Beth Harvelle. She was the daughter of William and Ellen Harvelle and grew up at Harvelle's Roadhouse among Hunters. She'd spent her entire life in the lifestyle, so the question was, could she be convinced that not all part-demons and demons were evil or were she a lost cause?

Some of the all-human people in the Council or who were allied with the Council had deliberately joined the Hunting community when they found out about it, both because they felt they could do more there but also because it allowed them to be active sources in a tight-knit community who would not talk to strangers. There was always a back-up Slayer team nearby them though, just in case.

"What bad experiences?"

Here goes nothing. "We employ Witches and part-demons to work with us to hunt down and kill the evil ones. Hunters react by attempting to kill them, and that's not of the good."

The shotgun came up again and aimed straight for her heart. Buffy slowly raised her hands to show she still didn't mean any harm. "Like the demon, Sam and Dean caught in the Devil's Trap with you?"

"He's a vampire, but yes. He's one of them. There are others." Buffy saw Angel move slightly at the corner of her eye and tensed microscopically before relaxing again when he became still again.

"All demons are evil. If they say something else they're just lying to you, trying to trick you into doing something for them."

"There are many who do that, but we have proper tests to ensure the ones we work with really are trying to help and not just infiltrate our organization and cause havoc."

The other blonde narrowed her eyes. "Why are you telling me this? I could just use it against you. Or tell the Winchester's or something."

"It's a risk we're willing to take." She lowered her hands a little. "The Winchester's are good people, a little too prejudiced for us but still good people who are trying to make the world a better place. And we can't fault them for that."

She discreetly took a deep breath and jumped into the real reason why she was in this particular boneyard. "We would like you to work with us. Either full or part-time, but it means you can't tell your family or other Hunters who aren't in the know."

Jo's trigger finger moved a hair's breadth closer to the trigger. "So your group is of the cult variety?"

Her hands went up a little. "No, no. We're not trying to separate you from your family and friends. You just can't talk to them about it. We have official NDA's and everything."

The latter part got her an incredulous stare, but on the bright side, the shotgun was finally pointed toward the ground rather than her. It was an improvement.

"My organization is official, well. Sort of. It's a long story I won't get into. But yes, we have real, legal non-disclosure agreements. It will legalize whatever you do as a Hunter as well, as long as you don't break the law just to break it."

Beside them, the fire in the grave finally sputtered out. A quick look around revealed only one shovel so she decided to not offer help in concealing what had happened.

"I'll tell you what, think about it and give me a call when you have come to a decision. Or if you want to talk some more or even if you want to have a more up-close demonstration of a vampire dusting." She handed over a card that simply had a phone number on one side and nothing else.

They exchanged a few more words and then Buffy walked out of the cemetery and back to the car where her boyfriend was already waiting for her with a half-smile and a kiss.


End file.
